Home
by Strawberry Sonata
Summary: Harry's home life when he goes to live with Sirius.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright, so it's been awhile since I've written anything for this website, not to mention this is my first Harry Potter story. It feels odd to be writing fanfics again. So please, bear with me here. I'm not really sure yet if this story has any major point to it, other than satisfying my desire for a Sirius/Harry story (and no, not a slash story, a godfather/godson interaction story). I'm on a marauder streak lately and for some reason I really want to write something. So this is my attempt. Who knows? Maybe it'll turn out better than I expect. Oh, and clearly I'm not making money off this stuff. It all belongs to J. K. Rowling and what not. But you already knew that *wink*.**

It was a gorgeous summer day, the kind that makes adults envious of children and wishing they too had summer holidays. The clouds in the sky were few and so far apart, they hardly posed any threat to the sunlight streaming down to the earth. A soft breeze kept the air from growing too hot, too stifling and not enjoyable. It was, over all, the sort of day that made one want to throw his work upon his desk, yell out, "bugger it all," then heard over to the park for a stroll and an ice cream cone.

The magnificent weather managed to make even Grimmauld Place look decent. It was hard to see the peeling paint of the doors in the sunlight and it even illuminated the dingiest looking windows. There was a fair bit of trash sitting out in the yards; strangely it did not smell horrid though. Not as if it mattered much to the boy surveying the street. He doubted he would spend much time out here.

As he continued down the street towards his destination, he noticed the houses seemed to sag less as well. It was as though the sun had energized them and they were eager to appear less bleak. As the boy walked, he realized something was off. There was an eleven but no number twelve sat beside it, only a shabby number thirteen. It was as through number thirteen were so excited to present to itself to the world, that it just skipped right past twelve. The boy, however, was not impressed. His dark brows furrowed as he glanced at the scrap of parchment in his hand. _Number twelve, Grimmauld Place, it says. Then why isn't it here?_

Suddenly the boy felt like he was eleven again, standing at King's Cross Station between platforms nine and ten. _Do I have to lean against the fence or something?_ The boy stood confused, wishing for something, anything to happen. "Could've gotten me at the station," he muttered unhappily. He could not really fault his godfather for not wanting to show his face in public though. After all, it was only recently that the world had learned of the man's innocence. Most people probably couldn't get it out of their heads the man had been imprisoned for murders. Whether or not he was innocent did not much matter, just the fact that he had been locked up made him guilty in their eyes. After all, only dangerous people had to be locked up.

The boy sighed and removed his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. He then carefully wiped them on his shirt before replacing them on his face. He lifted the parchment to his eyes, hoping it might be clearer this time._ Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place_ was still there. The letters seemed to be taunting him. Closing his eyes, he shook his head. _It has to be there, it just has to._ He could not imagine what he might do if it was not there. The thought of returning to Privet Drive and the Dursleys entered the back of his mind. He shuddered. There was no way he would ever return willingly. Not now that he had a godfather to stay with. Although it seemed the man did not feel the same. Why else would he make the house so hard to find? A frown etched itself on the boy's face. _No, he's the one who offered me to live with him. He wouldn't back out now. It has to be it. I know it._

With one last shake of his head, the boy opened his eyes and to his great surprise, saw a house squeezing itself between numbers eleven and thirteen. This house looked no better than the ones surrounding it, but it was the number on it that was important. A tarnished number twelve gleamed from underneath the muck, glittering as though it was winking at him. The boy shook his head once more to make sure the house really was there. He opened his eyes once more and the house continued to sit where it had sprung up. Feeling the excitement course through him, the boy bent to grab his trunk. _My new home…_

He had a bit of trouble opening the gate, and then it slapped shut on his trunk, causing him to struggle with it for several minutes. Once he freed the trunk, he eagerly ran up the worn out stone steps to the front door. He eyed the serpent shaped knocker curiously, then shrugged and grabbed it. The clank it made was shockingly loud in the summer silence. He glanced nervously about, waiting for heads to peek out doors, and demand to know what all the ruckus was. For a moment nothing happened. The boy frowned. _Is this a joke? Perhaps a second knock… _and just as he was raising his hand to the knocker, the door swung open. It revealed a man with long black tied in a ponytail, and soft grey eyes. His face, which was full and healthy looking, split into a wide grin. Pulling the boy into a hug he cried, "Welcome home Harry!"

**A/N: So that's all for now. I'm just getting into the swing of story writing here. Can't over do it the first time or else I know I'll never update. Clearly we can all tell who the boy is, but for some reason I felt like keeping his identity secret until the end. I hope you didn't get too confused with all the 'hes' flying around. I promise it won't be that way in the future. I'm planning on introducing an OC next chapter. But don't worry; she's not going to be Sirius' love interest or anything. She's just a side character who's there to help out. It's a pretty big house for the two of them to manage on their own. I hope you liked it, or are at least a bit interested. Like I said, I haven't done this in awhile, so I'm a bit rusty. Review and let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Oh my! I've already gotten reviews! I thought my story would go unnoticed for a bit, until I put up a few chapters and then someone might take an interest. This is really surprising. Thank you! I can't express how much I appreciate it. I just hope I don't let you guys down! I really have to try my hardest now!**

Harry had never received such an enthusiastic homecoming. At first he stood stiff, allowing himself to be smothered by his godfather's embrace. Then, slowly, he lifted his arms and grabbed the fabric above Sirius' shoulder blades, returning the hug. After a few moments, Sirius pulled away, beaming at his godchild. "It's good to have you here, kiddo," he said, ruffling Harry's hair. Harry stood in awe. The man before him was so different from the one he met weeks ago in the Shrieking Shack. For one thing, it did not look like he wanted to tear Harry apart. For another, he was very clean, his hair, his face, his clothes. Peering into the healthy face before him, it was hard to tell that Sirius had spent any time in Azkaban at all. Feeling it was about time he said something, Harry spoke, "er, it's good to be here."

Sirius' grin, if possible, grew bigger. "Come in, I'll get your truck." As Harry went around him, Sirius pulled out a wand and waved it at the trunk, causing it to hover a few inches above the ground. Harry could not help but gape at the entryway. It looked no better than the houses outside. He could not help thinking that somebody should have taken a match to this place years ago. The wallpaper seemed to want as far away from the walls as possible and had peeled off in long spirals. The carpet had disintegrated; a few pieces remained here and there on the floorboards. Overhead was a large, serpentine shaped chandelier, with cobwebs hanging off of it like climbers on a mountainside. An assortment of old, age-worn portraits hung precariously upon the walls. Adding to the eerie ambiance was a horrible screeching noise. A set of broken bagpipes would easily be shamed by the wheezing, banshee-like sounds. When Harry strained he could make out actual words.

"_Filth! Scum! Blood traitor! How dare you enter this house!"_

Harry frowned at the shrieks. They sounded like they belonged to an elder woman.

"Sirius," he began, "is there someone else here?" Sirius turned to face Harry and his smile quickly fell away.

"Oh, that'll be my mum," he frowned.

He ran off down the hall, leaving Harry to stand perplexed. _Was it popular for ex-convicts to return home to live with their mums,_ he wondered. He quickly set off down the hall after his godfather.

At once Harry wished he had not. The woman in the portrait was terrifying. Her bulging eyes moved in such a way that it suggested they were beyond her control. Her hair was pulled tightly back in a bun, and had taken the skin around her face with it. Her face was so taut, it was a wonder it did not snap. The teeth that were left in her mouth were unusually yellow and sharp. Sirius was struggling to shut a pair of curtains over her.

"_Filth! Scum! Shame of my flesh! Blood --"_

Sirius finally managed to draw the curtains closed and the hallway fell into silence. He was bent over, hands on his thighs panting. In a shaky voice Harry spoke.

"That's your mum?"

"Yeah," Sirius looked up. "My dear old mum. This used to be my parents house you know."

"Oh."

"Probably should've waited for you on the step. She starts screaming after any loud sound goes off. Can't manage to get her down…"

They stood in silence as Sirius ran a hand through his dark hand. Harry stared down at his shoes.

"Well then," Sirius began, "guess I'll show you to your new room, eh?"

Harry nodded and followed Sirius back to the entrance to grab his things. Sirius led him up the stair case, past a parade of house-elf heads mounted on the walls, past the first floor, to the second. Twisting one of the house's many serpent shaped doorknobs, Sirius opened the door to a large, near empty room. The only furniture was a twin sized bed and a wardrobe. The high ceilings added to the illusion of vast nothingness.

"It's not much, but it's probably one of the cleaner, and safer, rooms in the house." Sirius explained, setting Harry's trunk at the foot of the bed. Harry stood mouth agape.

"We can decorate it however you like," he added hastily, "new fabrics, bedspread, wallpaper, banners, whatever. Any color you want, too".

A small smile lit Harry's face. He had not been allowed to decorate his old "room" at the Dursleys'. He had tried to make it his own, with some drawings of Hedwig and Hogwarts on the walls, though that was all. The idea of a whole room to do with as he pleased seemed all at once both daunting and exciting.

"It's brilliant. I can't wait to fill it."

"Great! I've got some old Gryffindor banners-"

Harry, however, did not learn where Sirius kept his Gryffindor banners, for at that moment a knock echoed up from the front door. Almost instantaneously, Mrs. Black's screams filled the air.

"Damn, I really need to put up a 'do not knock' sign." Sirius frowned then turned sharply to Harry. _Probably shouldn't cuss in front of the kid._ Harry tilted his head and gave the man a confused look. Sirius just shook his head.

"Could you get the door? I need to shut my mum up."

Harry nodded his confirmation and Sirius took off running. Harry followed unenthusiastically behind. He opened the door to find a girl in her early twenties standing there. Her white blonde hair fell in soft curls to her waist. She wore a neat black and white dress that looked very professional under her immaculate black robes. She smiled warmly at him.

"Hello there. Is Mr. Sirius Black in?"

"Erm, yeah, just a moment."

Harry frowned and glanced down the hall. The screaming had ended and Sirius was jogging towards him.

"Really got to do something about her," he muttered. "Um, hello," he said when he caught sight of the girl.

"Hello," her smile grew bigger, "I'm Selene Beckett. Dumbledore sent me."

She extended her hand towards Sirius, who took it with a confused expression on his face.

"I thought Dumbledore was sending someone tomorrow…"

"Well yes, that's when I start work. I just wanted to come round today and see what sort of supplies I might be needing for tomorrow."

"Oh, well, come in then."

Sirius and Harry both stepped back to allow Selene into the house. Harry glanced up at Sirius. He seemed to be very flustered. Harry turned back towards the blonde woman. Her expression was unreadable as her sharp, pale blue eyes took in her surroundings. She walked up to a portrait and ran her finger along the glass. She "hmm'ed" and "oh'ed" as she surveyed the grime on her finger.

"What other rooms shall I be cleaning?" She asked, turning to face Sirius.

"Oh, right. Um, let me show. Harry, you think you could wait in your room a bit?"

He turned nervously to Harry and hung hopeful eyes on him.

"Yeah, um, no problem."

Relief seemed to flood Sirius' face and Harry gave him a reassuring smile. Harry went back down the hall to the stairs, while Sirius steered the woman towards the kitchen.

**A/N: I'm glad this chapter is much longer than the first. I guess that's from all the dialogue. I'd like to say the next chapters will be like this or close to it, but I just don't know… sorry! **

**Trying to picture the layout of the Black house in my mind confuses me to no end. So I'm not really going to go into too much detail about that if I can help it. And yeah, there's my OC. I'm really going to try to keep her more on the sidelines. She's going to be taking care of the boys since Sirius doesn't want another house elf. I'll explain more next chapter. What happened to Kreacher you may ask? Good question. I don't know. He just sort of creeps me out, so I'd rather not have to deal with him. Since I'm already mucking up the story line, why not mess with it a bit more? So he's just not there. That's the magic of fanfic. ^_^ **

**I just wanted to mention that I also got my image of Sirius from a doujin I came across a few days ago. He's got his hair all slicked back in a ponytail, with some unruly bangs in his face. He's also got a nice suit on, so he almost looks like a mafia member. Despite that he is just too adorable. The story's about Harry coming to live with him, so that was a springboard for my story. The doujin was really short and didn't give much detail, so it got me yearning for more about what might happen if they really did live together. I mean, they've only known each other for a few weeks, I imagine it'd be rather awkward at first. But I think that Sirius really wants to be a good father figure for him, and Harry really wants a family, so they'd try hard to make the other happy. So I really wanted to explore the idea more and hopefully I can do it satisfactorily. I was way disappointed when Harry lost his chance to live with Sirius. He really deserves a loving family, and so does Sirius. ^_^ That was much longer than I meant it to be. Sorry! Review?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Omigosh more reviews! Thank you! It definitely helps power my author batteries lol. To Lizzy Lovegood I just want to mention that no, there will not be anything happening between Selene and Sirius. You might have overanalyzed Sirius' way of acting towards her because I said he was flustered. That's just because he's a bit awkward socially and well, wouldn't you be awkward when dealing with people after having sat alone in a cell for 12 years? So his people skills are rusty that's all. There will be no relationship between the two. I'm sorry if I lead you in the wrong direction. I have always planned it this way and will continue to plan it this way. Though I have to admit, I've grown fond of her and will be using her a bit more then I planned to already. I've even thought up a good back-story, just in case *wink*. But unless there's a clamoring for more Selene, she'll remain where she is now, as the maid lol. To omega13a I must say thank for the idea of freeing Kreacher. It's so simple; I don't know why the thought never crossed my mind! Now I can get rid of him for a legit reason. Thank you.**

Harry re-entered his new bedroom and sighed. It needed a lot of work, but Harry could already picture himself happily living here. He could almost see his imaginary self, lying on the bed, sitting at a desk doing homework, getting dressed in a corner. _Yes, _he thought,_ I will definitely enjoy it here._ He approached Hedwig's cage as the owl let out a hoot.

"So you like it here too?" He asked her. The owl hopped from foot to foot to show her approval.

He carried her cage to the window and moved the remnants of curtains feasted upon by moths aside. The window was dingy, like everything else in the house, and kept out nearly all the sunshine. If Harry did not know better he would have said night had fallen. It took a few tries but after a couple of minutes Harry finally managed to pry the window open. Hedwig nibbled his finger affectionately before she flew off. Harry placed the cage on the floor and watched her fly out of sight before turning back to the room. He could hear Sirius and Selene walking about outside his door. He could almost make out Selene's exclamations of surprise and horror and Sirius' mutters of apology as they passed by to view the other floors.

Harry walked to the bed and sat on the edge of it, opening the truck at his feet. He surveyed the mess that was his belongings and frowned. Everything really needed to be sorted out. He began to unload his clothing and books into piles on the floor.

Harry was unsure how long he sat there organizing his things, but he had managed to get achingly close to the bottom of the truck. He had just pulled out a stack of old assignments and was tossing an old Potions essay into the rubbish pile when a soft knock came from the door.

"Come in," he called, dropping his parchments to the floor.

"Hey, kiddo. Sorry about that," Sirius said while entering the room.

"Who was she?"

"Ah, well, she's going to be helping out around the house. I couldn't stand the thought of living with Kreacher again. I just had to set him free, stupid bugger."

"Who?"

Sirius grimaced. "My mum's old house-elf. We're much better off without him, believe me. After living with him for so long I couldn't stand the thought of another house-elf. That's where Selene comes in. Dumbledore found her, said she's eager to help out. Apparently she's pretty talented and performs a wicked cleaning charm. Though if she's so smart I don't know why she's so happy to work as a maid," Sirius shook his head and added, "she'll be making our meals too."

"You can't cook?" The thought of his godfather not being good at something came as a bit of a shock to Harry. Sirius shrugged.

"You can judge for yourself when I attempt to make us dinner tonight."

"I can cook," Harry cried, eager to do something for his godfather. He hopped to his feet, "of course it's only toast and bacon, maybe some eggs. I have a knack for TV dinners too, but I doubt you have any. Only, I have to do it the muggle way."

Sirius frowned. "How do you know how to cook like a muggle?"

"Aunt Petunia made me cook for her from time to time."

Harry shrugged and Sirius frowned even more. _What sort of woman made a child cook for her, when he could be outside enjoying his day?_ Sirius was sorely tempted to ask why Harry had never thought of adding poison to the food, but thought better of it.

"Tell you what kiddo, _I'll_ do the cooking and if it comes out absolutely, a hundred percent inedible, then you'll have a go at it."

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Harry sat at the table in the kitchen watching Sirius attempt to make a pot of soup. They had to eat in the kitchen, Sirius said, because the dining room was an absolute mess. Harry did not mind, though he was not sure he could say the same of Sirius' cooking skills. An unrecognizable odor wafted out of the pot, which contained an even stranger colored liquid. Now Harry understood what Sirius had meant. He wondered if it was all together wise to eat something made by his godfather. Sirius filled two bowls with the soup, if it could be called that, and set them on the table. Harry gulped at the sight of the odd, bubbling concoction. Wearily picking up his spoon, Harry poked at a bubble that popped with a weird gurgling noise. _It just might eat me before I get the chance to eat it._ Sirius let out a small cough.

"Uh, perhaps I ought to try it first?"

He looked nervously down at his bowl. Harry watched as his godfather swallowed a spoonful of the soup stuffs. When Sirius did not faint or vomit, Harry took it as a good sign.

"It's not so bad. Pretty decent by my standards, actually. Go on and try it. It's much better than it looks."

Harry wondered how such a thing were possible, as he glanced back at the soup that he could have sworn had been an off-green but was now a vibrant orange. Seeing Sirius continue to gulp soup out of the corner of his eye reassured Harry a touch. He lifted his spoon to his mouth and found that Sirius had been right. For its strange odor and unexplained color change, the soup was surprisingly edible. The two finished in silence and Sirius produced a couple chocolate bars for dessert.

As Harry munched his chocolate thoughtfully, he glanced about the grimy kitchen. He would be more than happy when Selene cleaned it up and prepared their meals. As he wondered what house the girl had been in, the thought of another's time at Hogwarts crossed his mind. He turned to face his godfather.

"Hey, Sirius?"

"Yeah kiddo?"

"I was just wondering, what was my dad like?"

A wide grin split Sirius' face, exposing his chocolate covered teeth.

"James was amazing, truly the best mate a bloke could ask for. Your father really valued his friends. He was always looking out for us. He was more of a brother to me than my own really. He was a brilliant student too, but he liked to put his talents more towards troublemaking than being helpful. Course Remus always tried to stop us. Didn't last for long though, he usually gave in to his inner prankster as well."

Harry's grin mirrored his godfather's. "What sort of pranks did you pull?"

"Oh, you know," Sirius said nonchalantly, "charming doorways to allow everyone but Slytherins through, hexing Snape, bewitching suits of armor to demand that students answer questions in order to pass, jinxing Snape, changing the school calendars to give us more days on break, cursing Snape, the usual."

Harry laughed. He could almost picture his father and friends, the Marauders, running amok at Hogwarts, causing trouble left and right. Sirius did not want to give Harry too many bad ideas but at the same time, he could not hold himself back. Harry was so excited to hear about his father and, truth be told, Sirius loved to remember their time together.

"What other things did you guys do? I have the map you made."

"Really?" Sirius sounded so delighted. "Figured out how to work it did you? Prongs would be so proud to see his kid sneaking out of school. Let me tell you about one of James' better pranks."

Harry leaned towards Sirius, eager to hear of his father's prankster ways.

"We levitated this one kid, Bobby Parks, and his mattress out the window and to the top of the Astronomy tower one night. He slept straight through it! You should have heard his screams the next morning. Could've broken all the glass in the castle. Everybody kept asking who the damsel in distress was! McGonagall was beside herself. We tried to explain that we were merely practicing the levitation charm we had learned in class the day before and it had gone awry but she wouldn't have it."

Harry's laugh was uncontrollable, but it was nothing compared to Sirius'. Sirius nearly fell out of his chair, he was laughing so hard. Harry had never seen his godfather so happy. Lost in his nostalgia, Sirius looked positively ecstatic. Once Sirius had recovered from his laughing fit, Harry asked, "Why'd you do that though? What'd he do to you?"

"Oh, he insulted Peter or something like that," Sirius replied airily, while waving his hand about.

Harry bit his lip and looked towards the floor. Bobby Parks had insulted Peter. Peter had been his father's good friend at school and yet, years later, Peter had handed James over to Voldemort. He had even framed Sirius for murder. Harry looked back towards Sirius. _Why had he done those things?_ He had to know. He hesitantly opened his mouth, searching for the right words.

"About Peter… was he, well…"

"An okay guy? Of course his was. Never in a million years would we have thought it possible for him to betray us. If someone from the future had used a time turner to visit us at Hogwarts and warned us of his betrayal, we would have laughed in his face. James possibly would have even hexed him. He took it to heart when someone insulted one of his friends."

"So he wasn't that bad?"

"Not at all. His academic record wasn't so great, but heck, even James and I weren't tops all the time. We had nothing on Remus. He was great for going on kitchen raids with though. And when we didn't have time for a kitchen raid, you could always count on Peter to have some sort of food on him. He was always eager to help carry out a prank. He even came up with a few great pranks himself. He was constantly itching for an adventure. Well almost always. He was a tad hesitant about the animagus thing. But he did it for Remus. He was excited to help a friend out…"

Sirius paused, his eyes far away, searching for something. He sighed.

"I don't know why Peter went to Voldemort. Maybe he wanted more power. He had always been average. Or maybe he was scared. Maybe he was more of a coward than any of us realized. Perhaps he wanted to be friends with the smartest, strongest kids in the school yard. Maybe that's why he followed us endlessly. Maybe that's why he followed the dark lord."

He sighed again, bowing his head and hiding his face from Harry's view.

"I can't explain why Peter did what he did. I'll probably never know. All I know is he betrayed us and there's no taking it back. After everything we did for him, everything James did for him. Even Lily… she had been so sweet to him. She was always kind to James' friends. Except me."

He let out a strangled sounding laugh. Harry tilted his head to the side and frowned.

"My mum didn't like you?"

"Oh no, she liked me. Maybe not the things I did, but she sure liked me. She just had an odd way of showing it."

Before Harry could ask what that meant, he noticed Sirius' shoulders began to shake. Harry sat there dumbstruck. He had never seen an adult cry before. He was at a lost for how to act.

"It's getting late," Sirius said, in a shaky voice. "Why don't you go to bed boyo?"

His voice cracked on the last syllable and Harry murmured an agreement. He stood and walked past his godfather's hunched form to the door. He stopped and turned to the sobbing man. Not moments before Sirius' face had been lit with happiness, and now it sounded as though he might drown the world. Harry felt torn. He wanted to comfort his godfather, say something to him, but what? What do you say to a man who had lost his best friend and another good friend in one night? _It's okay, you still have me. _Somehow, Harry doubted that would help ease the man's pain. The thought of having to care for his dead friends' son would probably just make things worse. The world was cruel to take his friends and leave such an obvious reminder of them.

Harry turned back to the door and left the kitchen. His feet felt like lead weights upon the stairs. His head felt like it was swimming and his stomach was nauseous. Harry doubted Sirius' soup was the cause. He went to his room feeling useless, Sirius' misery weighing down upon him.

**A/N: Wow, I hadn't planned for it to take such an angst-y turn there. I was happily writing about the Marauders one minute and the next thing I know, my story's run away from me and taken a turn down Depression Alley. Geez. I'm sorry about that, guys. It'll be much happier next time, I promise. That is if my story doesn't take on a life of its own again. Other than that, I'm quite proud of this chapter.**

**I just have to add that Bobby Parks is a random student I made up for the Marauders to bother. You won't find him in a Harry Potter encyclopedia. And if (against all odds) you do happen to, please tell me so I can change his name. I must have subconsciously channeled Ms. Rowling and I'd rather not have to steal- I mean borrow more of her characters if I can help it. It makes me feel like a bad person lol.**

**As for Peter, well I can't help but feel that he doesn't get enough credit. Or at least Kid Peter doesn't, Adult Peter is a different story. He had to have been a pretty nice guy if he was included as one of the Marauders. I mean come on; he hung out with James Potter and Sirius Black! He had to have some ounce of cool at one point in time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I'm really bad about that. I'll try to work a bit harder. Thanks to all who reviewed! You are a small few, but your comments make a huge impact on my confidence and motivation. Thank you!**

The next morning Harry woke up confused. He blinked blearily, surveying the unfamiliar, empty room around him. After a few seconds it dawned on him that he was at Grimmauld Place, living with Sirius. _Sirius!_ Harry bolted upwards and instantly regretted it. As he lay down to get the blood back in his head, he frowned. Sirius had been in such a sad state last night and he had done nothing to help. Instead of hugging his godfather, like any normal person would have, he stood by and did nothing. He had to make it up to Sirius, he just had to. _What if I make breakfast for us,_ he pondered. It was not much help, but still, Sirius might appreciate the gesture.

Groaning, Harry rolled out of bed, his feet hitting the cold, threadbare carpet. He quickly grabbed a pair of slippers then pulled on his glasses. As he made his way out of the room, he hoped that Sirius had not yet gotten out of bed and started breakfast. Harry was determined to cheer his godfather up, if only just a tad.

As he neared the kitchen though, it seemed someone had already beaten him to it. The delicious scent of pancakes and syrup wafted from the basement. Once he reached the door, he could hear pots and pans clanking together on the other side. Sirius had made it there first. Harry frowned and thought, _so much for that idea._ He sighed and walked in, quickly stopping in his tracks.

The kitchen looked nothing like it had the day before. All the dust and muck was gone. The countertops gleamed under the glow of candles held in clear and tinted golden baubles. The chairs and table seemed to stand straighter then before, and the food atop it looked delicious. There was a plate with freshly made pancakes, another full of sausages and toast, and a bowl of delectable looking fruits. Next to a just polished teapot sat a jug of orange juice and a small glass pitcher of syrup. Standing at the stove was a blond-haired young woman, humming while she moved a finished pancake from the pan to a plate.

Harry stood dumbstruck. That was most definitely not Sirius. It took a few moments before he recalled yesterday's events. _Oh,_ he thought, _that's Selene Be… Be… what was her name… Beckham… Bennett… oh it doesn't matter._ Harry resumed his walk to the table when Selene turned about to levitate the second pancake plate over.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter!" She greeted cheerfully.

"Uh, hi…" Harry managed before sitting down. "You cleaned this all this morning?"

"Yep. It was difficult at some points, but I've yet to meet a spot of dirt that can outlast my spells." She smiled and turned back to the stove.

It was only now that Harry noticed Selene's unusual manner of dress. She wore a dirty shirt that he guessed was once white, and a pair of cut off jeans, complete with holes and odd patches. It was quite the change from her wardrobe yesterday.

"Why're you dressed like that?" Harry asked.

"Well, there's no point in wearing nice clothes only to get them all mucked up by dirt when cleaning," she replied sensibly. "After I've tackled the grimier parts of this house I'll return to my usual way of dressing."

"Oh," was the only reply Harry gave and he turned back to his food. The kitchen filled with an amiable silence as Harry ate and Selene began to put away her ingredients.

Swallowing a sausage, Harry asked, "Has Sirius been down yet?"

"Actually, yeah, he has. Can't have been more than twenty minutes before you came down that he went back upstairs. I dare say he'll be back though. A person can't make it through the day on coffee alone."

Harry poked at his remaining sausage. Sirius must be avoiding him. Maybe Sirius was ashamed at his behavior in front of Harry. More likely Sirius was disappointed with Harry's behavior. If only he had comforted Sirius. Now, Harry feared Sirius might never want to see him. He would have to go back to the Dursleys. Harry shook his head. The closest thing he had ever had to a real home and now he was about to lose it. Harry knew he had to make it up to Sirius. Wondering what he could do, his eyes roamed the kitchen. When they landed on Selene a sudden inspiration struck.

"Hey, Selene," he cried, nearly jumping out of his chair. "Do you need any help cleaning the house today?"

Selene blinked then raised an eyebrow. "Why on earth would you want to do that?"

Harry shrugged. "Just because." If he could make the house a nicer place to live, then maybe that would cheer Sirius up a bit. Harry could not get rid of the bad memories, but he could help Sirius create new, happier ones.

Selene eyed him suspiciously. "Rather than go outside and do something, you want to be in this filth pot, cleaning it up?"

"Yes," Harry replied sincerely.

"Well, I am being paid to do all this. It might look bad if you do things for me… plus you're underage, there isn't much you could do… though with Sirius and me about it throws off the Trace… but still, it is my job," she mused.

"Please," Harry begged.

"Well, I… perhaps… I don't understand why…" she paused, looking him up and down.

"I want to help," he said truthfully.

Selene appeared shocked. It was never "just helping" with teenagers. But Harry… she frowned, eyeing him. He seemed keen on lending a hand and she always did have a hard time saying no to people.

Finally giving in, she said, "alright, alright Mr. Potter, you win. You can help. Put on some work clothes and meet me in the drawing room."

"Thank you Selene!" Harry flashed her a smile, and downed the rest of his orange juice in one go. Then he bolted out the kitchen door, eager to begin.

Selene watched the door swing back and forth, still confused. _Thank you? For chores? That boy must have suffered a major head injury as a child. _Selene began to put away the food for Sirius when she suddenly stopped and slapped her forehead. _Of course he suffered head trauma, you dolt! He's the boy–who-lived! You've seen the scar._ Muttering about her temporary stupidity, Selene finished picking up the kitchen.

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Harry arrived in the drawing room before Selene did, wearing a beat up pair of jeans and an old T-shirt. He was more than ready to work. Sirius was kind enough to open his home to Harry, and Harry was determined to repay his hospitality. No more would he sit by idly, doing nothing. He was going to be helpful, whether Selene wanted him about or not.

He began to look around the room they would be cleaning. This was his first time in the room but he could tell that it had once been a very grand place. The large fireplace sat between two beautifully, albeit Slytherin-esque, glass cabinets. He wished he could see through the filthy windows and glimpse the items inside. He gave up trying to see in the cabinets after a bit and turned to see a large tapestry. An ornate diagram filled it, with a heading that read _The Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. _An inscription on the shield read _Toujours Pur._ Harry frowned. He had no idea what that meant, but he did know he was looking at a family tree. He started to search for Sirius when the drawing room door opened.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, you really are eager to work, aren't you?" Selene asked.

"Yeah," Harry turned to her, "I can't wait to get started."

He watched as Selene emptied her arms of buckets, cloths and all sorts of interesting looking bottles. There was a sudden rattling noise from the corner of the room. Harry turned to see a shaking writing desk in the corner. He nervously backed up towards Selene.

"Oh, that old thing again?" She asked, straightening up. "It's nothing to worry about, just a boggart."

"I could help get rid of that you know." Harry grinned. It seemed he was getting the chance to be really useful today.

"You can banish boggarts?"

"Yeah, just learned it last year."

"Wow," Selene said, impressed, "you must've had a good defense teacher that year. I didn't learn about boggarts until my fifth year."

Harry's grin grew. "Yeah, he was very good. Our best defense teacher yet." He vaguely wondered if Lupin would visit Grimmauld Place, after all, he and Sirius were childhood friends.

"Well that's great, but that's not where we're starting. And don't you go getting any ideas either. That desk is off-limits for the time being. We're actually going to tackle the doxies in the curtains." She said and pointed towards the massive, rotting cloths.

It was only now that Harry realized they were moving, as if by some invisible force. He wanted to believe that one of the windows was merely open, but doubted wind could move the curtains in such a surreal way.

"Alright," he hesitated, "what do we have to do?"

"Just spray them with Doxycide then chuck them in a bucket." She handed Harry a bucket and spray bottle full of black liquid. "Here, cover your face too," she added, giving him a large handkerchief.

She too wrapped a scarf around her face and tied a cloth over her hair before grabbing a bottle of Doxycide. She led the way towards the swaying curtains and briefly stopped.

"They like to bite, so be careful, their teeth are poisonous. I have antidote but it's always better to have that as a precaution, then to actually use it. Remember, just a squirt is all you'll need." She stated in a muffled voice.

Positioning herself square in front of the curtains, she glanced at Harry, "ready?"

"Yep."

"Alright, here goes."

They had only sprayed the curtains a few times before a doxy appeared, flying towards Harry. He quickly sprayed it, more out of instinct than skill, and it immediately dropped to the floor. He stared down at the furry black body, its extra arms and legs bent at odd angles. Its mouth had frozen open and Harry could see its tiny, sharp teeth. Shuddering, he bent down to pick it up and tossed it in the bucket. He and Selene continued this process for almost two hours before the doxies were finally all sitting immobilized in buckets. Wiping sweat from her face, Selene sat on the floor.

"That was the largest infestation of doxies I've ever seen," she gasped for fresh air. "Are you happy you helped me now?"

Harry grinned then realized she could not see it through the cloth mask and nodded.

Fiddling with the knot he spoke in a smothered tone, "It was really entertaining."

Blushing, Selene looked to the floor. Her bottle of Doxycide had run out at one point, and before she could grab another one, a dozen doxies flew at her, sending her dashing about the room. Harry had felt bad but he could not hold back his laughter as she madly dodged them to reach her wand.

"Right, well other than my dancing, you didn't mind helping?" She questioned.

"Not at all. Besides, it would have taken you forever to clear them out had you been on your own. Especially with all the running about you would have to do."

Selene glowered at him and said with a voice full of sarcasm, "You're sense of humor is positively charming, Mr. Potter."

Harry sniggered. "So, now what?"

"Well," Selene began while standing up, "I've got to get rid of all these doxies. You weren't bit by any of them, were you?"

Harry shook his head.

"Good. Then you wait here while I dispose of them. Actually, maybe it would be better if you went somewhere else. You could wash up for lunch. What with all this work you must've worked up quite an appetite. We could eat early."

Now that she mentioned it, Harry was feeling quite ravenous. "Early lunch sounds good."

"Alright then, I'll get rid of the doxies and you get cleaned up."

"Actually, I was going to stay here for a few more minutes."

Selene paused and looked up from the bucket she was grabbing. "You're not planning on making any mischief are you?"

"No, not at all. I just wanted to look at the tapestry a bit more. I want to find Sirius on it."

Selene frowned. "I don't mean to disappoint you, love, but you won't find him up there, he was disowned."

Now it was Harry's turn to frown. Sirius had never mentioned that to him.

Sighing, Selene spoke up, "if you want to look at it a bit, have a go. Just don't spend too long here. Be sure to get cleaned, alright?"

Harry nodded in agreement and Selene left the room, laden down with doxies. Harry turned to the tapestry and felt a wave of sadness hit him. Sirius' family did not want him about. That fact must have made it hard for him to return to this house.

Sighing, Harry turned to leave the room. There was no point looking at the tapestry further if Sirius was not up there. As he crossed the room, a thudding sound caught his attention. He turned to see the writing desk, shaking in its corner. It was as though a light bulb lit above his head, er, a candle rather. _The boggart! I could get rid of that!_

Smiling at his new found usefulness, Harry quickly made his way to the desk. He grabbed the drawer that seemed to move the most and tried to pull it open. It was locked. Harry furrowed his brows. _Perhaps I could try Alohamora. I may be underage, but Selene said the Trace was a bit off, and it is for Sirius._ He weighed the pros and cons for a moment and made his decision. Casting a glance at the door, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the drawer. He whispered the spell and smiled at the sound of the lock clicking. Reaching out, Harry began to pull the drawer from its place.

At that moment the door to the drawing room opened as well. Panicking, Harry tried to force the drawer back into place, but it did not want to move. It was not Selene's voice that he heard though.

"Harry?" Sirius softly called. "I thought maybe we should talk- what's going on?" He asked, noticing Harry's struggles with the drawer.

Harry vainly tried to get the drawer back in place, but the boggart would have none of it. This was its first time out in years and it was going to take advantage of that. Suddenly a large dementor occupied the space in front of Harry. Before Harry could produce a patronus, Sirius shoved him to the side. The boggart twisted and shifted to resemble a dead body. Looking at the floor, Harry believed he was looking at his father. An awful realization crept upon him when he looked closer at the figure's face; that was not James, it was Harry. He stared, dumbstruck, at himself motionless upon the floor.

All the color drained from Sirius' face. His body jerked oddly and for a moment it seemed he would faint.

The door to the drawing room opened once more and a feminine "eek" was heard, followed by a loud _Riddikulus._ The boggart began to twist and shift again, this time forming a giant, pink stuffed bear. A snort of laughter came from Selene and the boggart burst into streams of vapor that disappeared. 

Harry whipped his head up to look at the older girl. Sirius stood rooted to his spot, staring at the place his godson's body had been.

"Mr. Potter," the blonde began, frowning, "I leave you alone for five minutes and you start to stir up trouble. I told you we'd take care of the boggart later. I mean, honestly, if-"

Sirius spoke softly, "not right now Selene."

"But Mr. Black, he ought to be punished for disobeying. No good comes from a child not receiving discipline for his troublemaking. I specifically said-"

Sirius held up his hand and speaking in the same soft tone, said, "I'll take care of it. Just give us a moment. Please."

It almost sounded as if he were pleading with the girl. Selene pursed her lips and nodded.

"I'll just make some lunch then."

She left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. Sirius continued to stare at the same spot on the floor. The only movement he had made was his gesture to Selene. Harry swallowed and watched his godfather. He felt the need to apologize, to explain himself. His mouth failed to form words though and he stood, gaping. After a few minutes Sirius broke the silence. He used the same soft, quiet tone he had with Selene.

"She's right you know. You ought to be punished for not listening to her."

He sighed. Harry tried to speak once more, but nothing came out. Sirius spoke again.

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to see me in such a miserable state." He lifted his sad, gray eyes to Harry's bright green ones.

"I only wanted to help." Harry finally managed weakly.

A sad smile graced Sirius' face. "If I was being a real godfather, you wouldn't need to. I should be looking after you."

"But you are being a real godfather. You let me come live with you, didn't you? I'm so happy to be here, I just wanted to make you happy too."

"Harry, I'm happy if you're happy. And safe. You really shouldn't go looking for trouble."

"It was only a boggart." Harry said, a bit indignant.

"Yes, for now it was, but what will it be next week? I hear you have quite the penchant for trouble. It'd be for the best if you just avoided troublemaking."

Harry felt a warmth rise in his chest. He should not be angry with his godfather, but Sirius was being rather hypocritical.

"What about you? What about all the trouble you caused when you were my age?"

Sirius sighed. "That was different."

"Different? Different how?" Harry did not realize it, but his voice began to rise in volume.

"It just was." Sirius replied, slightly frustrated. "Look, if something were to happen to you… Harry, I can't stand the thought that you might do something that would lead to you being hurt. Just stay out of trouble."

Sirius looked sad once more, but Harry did not feel the need to cheer him up. Instead, Harry felt like punching him.

"I've been in trouble plenty of times before and gotten out just fine. I can't believe you're going to lecture me on staying safe and not causing mischief, when that's all you used to do. You used to run around with a werewolf for crying out loud. I don't need you looking over my shoulder constantly."

Harry glared at his godfather and stormed to the door.

"And I could have gotten rid of that boggart if you had only given me a chance!" He shouted angrily, slamming the door as he left the room.

**A/N: This chapter is the longest so far! That's my way of apologizing for taking so long to update. I realize there was quite a bit of Harry/Selene interaction in this chapter and I'm sorry. I said she wouldn't take up a lot of story. She's just a bit of a buffer right now. Once Harry and Sirius work themselves out, she will most certainly not appear so often. So just stick with me! Please! **

**Also, it seems to me that Harry's a bit dramatic in this chapter. But I always have seen him as someone who goes over the top from time to time. Besides, he's a teenager. We like to exaggerate and blow stuff out of proportion. We also enjoy blowing up for little to no reason. ; ) I'll admit, the ending is a bit awkward but I needed them to have a fight to show they don't quite understand each other the way they think they do. Please review and let me know how things are so far!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed! Your comments (and a large pot of green tea) are what propels me through each chapter. **

Selene grumbled as she headed down the hall of the ground floor, back to the kitchen. Who ever had slammed that door-she had a strong feeling Mr. Potter was involved- had set Mrs. Black off. When she had told Mrs. Black she was, indeed, a pureblood, the woman had paused just long enough for Selene to throw the curtains shut again. Selene could not wait for the day when she would finally rip the portrait from the wall. As she contemplated asking Mr. Black if she could burn it, she forgot about her surroundings and walked straight into someone coming down the stairs.

"Uff! Oh, Mr. Black! I'm sorry. Didn't you see you there, sir," she apologized while dusting herself off.

"Don't worry about it." Sirius muttered. "Just getting a drink," and with that he swept towards the kitchen. Selene gave a start, and followed in his wake.

Sirius pulled out a bottle of firewhiskey and poured a shot. Selene busied herself pulling out pots and pans and various food items, all the while glancing at Sirius from the corner of her eye. She waited for him to speak first. After downing three shots, it seemed he was ready to say something.

"I'm an awful godfather, aren't I?"

Wondering if honesty was best at the moment, Selene paused and considered her answer. Slowly she said, "well, I can't say you're the best, although you're not that horrid either."

Sirius grimaced. "That was enlightening."

Selene gave an eye roll. "Look, you want my honest opinion?"

"That's what I was kind of hoping for, yeah."

"You're inexperienced. You don't know how to handle a teenager. You're all wrapped up in yourself and your own problems; you can't manage to help Mr. Potter properly if you can't help yourself."

Sirius sat down, bringing the bottle with him. He ran a hand through his hair and let Selene's words wash over him.

"It's sad and all that you lost your best friend but you see him in Harry. You act as if he's James, talking about pranks and mischief making. You're the adult; you need to act like one."

"I tried to say something about that," Sirius stated meekly.

Selene snorted. "Yeah, I heard that. Didn't go so well for you, did it?"

"You said I ought to punish him."

"Well yes, but you went about it the wrong way. One moment you treat him like your best friend, the next you act like he's a toddler. If you're going to reprimand him, you can't do it in such a backwards way. How will he ever respect you? Yes you needed to discipline him, but you needn't have yelled at him for past and future troublemaking as well."

She sighed and sat, opposite of Sirius.

"He's a kid; he's going to cause trouble. You can't completely squash it out of him. You can't let him get away with everything though. You just need to find a balance. You love pranks and the like, it's alright to laugh with him about it from time to time, but you need to know when it's time to draw the line. If it's harmless fun then what's the problem? But if it could be dangerous you need to speak up and be the adult you should be."

Sirius gave a small smile. "You sound like Lily."

"Well then," Selene returned his smile, "she must have been a very smart woman."

"How do I know when to stop encouraging him and start yelling at him?"

"Trial and error mostly. No one's born with the ability to be a perfect parent. It comes from experience and time."

"You seem pretty talented at it."

Selene waved her hand nonchalantly. "I practically raised my younger brother. I know what it's like to be thrust in a position of caring for someone and not know how to go about it. What's important is that you love Mr. Potter and you talk with him. I'm sure you two can sort out your relationship and have a proper family if you just have a bit of a heart-to-heart." She nodded sagely, confident in her own advice.

"Alright, you think I should speak to him now?"

"Oh no," Selene shook her head. "Give him time to cool down. If there's one thing I have learned, it's to spend time apart when someone's angry. It gives everyone a chance to cool down and gather their thoughts. It'd be best to just wait for him to come to you. He'll talk when he's ready. You just need to wait." She stood up and came towards Sirius.

"_And_ you need to put away that bottle," she added, grabbing the firewhiskey from his hands.

Sirius pouted. "What if I need another shot?"

"If you need another shot Mr. Black, then I'm going to need a raise." Selene replied.

"Well," Sirius mused, "that could be arranged."

Selene rolled her eyes. "You don't need another shot," and with that she tucked the bottle out of sight.

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Harry had not come down for lunch. Selene packed everything up and headed back to the drawing room, but not before sternly reminding Sirius to keep away from the firewhiskey. Sirius decided to follow Selene's advice and let Harry come to him. He returned to his room and took to pacing to the pass the time. He finally emerged to return to the kitchen when Selene prepared dinner.

Harry did not come down for dinner either, prompting Selene to take it to him- "lest he starve," she had said. The moment she walked back through the kitchen door, Sirius practically jumped her.

"Did he say anything? How did he look? Is he coming down soon? When will he be ready to talk?" He fired question after question at the blonde, voice full of worry.

Selene was so startled she jumped and nearly fell backwards. "Mr. Black," she began irritably, "please refrain from assaulting me or else I shall have to get you sent back to Azkaban, and no one wants that, do they?"

Sirius stepped back a few feet and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I just want to sort this mess out. I thought it'd be so great to have Harry come live with me."

"Well, it's not all cauldron cakes and fairies looking after a teenager. Just stop worrying about it. You'll make things worse."

"Alright. You think I could go talk to him now?"

Selene looked confused. "You haven't talked with him yet?"

Now Sirius looked confused too. "I thought you said let him come to me."

Selene laughed. "Well yes, I did, but I meant give him the chance to come to you first. If he doesn't take it then you need to step up and initiate a conversation. If everybody waited for the other to start something, nothing would ever get done. How do you think this world was built?"

"Alright, alright, I see what you're saying. You think now would be good?"

"Just give him a few minutes. The boy needs time to eat." Selene laughed even more.

"Hmm, good point. He might try to throw it at me." Sirius said solemnly.

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" It seemed Selene would start crying from all her laughter. "You are impossible! That's not what I meant."

Sirius cocked his head to the side while Selene walked away laughing. He sat down to wait and watched as Selene cleaned the kitchen. Once the last plate had been put away, Selene turned to him.

"Here, why don't I go up and get his tray and bring it back here. Then you'll know one hundred percent that you are safe from flying food objects."

Sirius blushed and muttered an agreement. Selene laughed as she exited the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later with the dirty dishes and headed towards the sink.

"After I get these put away I'm going home for the day, alright? I'll be back tomorrow, just as we agreed."

"Sure, I don't mind." Sirius stood. "Think its safe now?"

"I'm not sure. You may have to be careful of textbooks."

Sirius shook his head and went out the door.

"And keep an eye out for stray quills! Those smart!" She shouted after him.

Sirius allowed himself a small smile. So maybe his maid liked to poke fun at him, at least she was a damn good cook.

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Harry sat on the floor of his room, leaning back against his bed. He twisted and folded a piece of paper between his hands, trying desperately to stay occupied. He felt utterly guilty. Harry knew he should not have yelled at Sirius in such a way, but the man was being completely hypocritical. Someone needed to tell him where to stick it and Harry had been glad to be the one. Only now he was beginning to regret it. Harry would more than understand if Sirius decided to send him back to the Dursleys. He sighed and looked towards the ceiling, hands resting in his lap.

A soft knock came at the door. Harry knew it could not be Selene, not after she had left minutes before. No, this was Sirius. He knew he could not avoid the man forever, so he might as well get it all over with. Perhaps he'd get the chance to apologize before being thrown out.

"Come in," he called, returning his eyes to the paper in his hands.

Sirius' head appeared around the door. "Mind if I come in?"

Harry shook his head and the rest of Sirius' body entered the room. He nervously wrung his hands, trying to decide the best way to start a conversation. Harry had resumed playing with his piece of paper and Sirius sat on the edge of the bed, watching him silently. After a moment, the paper began to take a shape.

"Oh, I see," Sirius ventured, "it's a toad."

"It's supposed to be an owl."

"Oh. Well, er," Sirius cocked his head to the side, "oh yes, from this way I do sort of see it." He turned his head even farther to the side, so that it was almost upside down. "It helps, I think, to look at it from this angle."

Harry let out a loud breath of air then tossed the paper away towards the dresser. Sirius immediately sat up right and began to fiddle with his shirt cuffs. Both waited for the other to speak, not wanting to start the conversation himself. As Sirius pulled at a loose thread, he made a mental note to ask Selene to fix his sweater. Harry focused on the piece of paper he had thrown, lying just a few feet away. A small smile crept onto his face.

"You know," he began, "it really does look like a toad. A fat, ugly toad. Perhaps we should name him."

Sirius sat shocked. Then he realized this was Harry's way of initiating the conversation, of saying everything was alright, and that was just fine with him.

"I don't know of any good toad names."

"This one kid at my school, Neville, has a toad named Trevor."

"That is a pretty good name."

"Should we stick with that then?"

"We could, or we could call him Timmy. There was a rather toady looking kid in my year named Timmy."

Harry grinned. "Alright, we'll call him Timmy."

He stood and went over to the paper toad, picked it up and pinned it to the wall. He then pulled out another paper and carefully wrote _Timmy the Toad_ on it, and placed it beneath the toad. He had done this all without facing Sirius. It was time to talk to the man and have a real conversation. Harry took a deep breath then turned to his godfather.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have yelled." He stared down at his feet.

"I guess we don't know each other the way we thought we did," Sirius replied. "My parenting skills need a bit of work. Selene's given me some ideas though, so I know generally where I'm headed, I just need to get there."

He paused. Harry looked up and met his godfather's eyes. The dark gray orbs had seen so much sadness and pain, yet they held a great amount of hope. Harry wondered how Sirius had managed to hold onto hope, after everything he had encountered through the years.

The man smiled and spoke, "If you can put up with my mistakes while I learn to be a proper guardian, then I'm willing to put up with your teenage attitude."

Harry blushed. Recalling his earlier outburst, a certain amount of embarrassment managed to wriggle its way into Harry's heart.

"I admit that was a bit uncalled for. _You_ have nothing to be sorry about. You're a better parent to me than the Dursleys ever were." Harry looked down at his feet again.

"You didn't like living with them, did you?"

"Well, it was fine when they ignored me. The yelling and constant threats weren't that fun."

Sirius hopped to his feet, ready to dash out the door and teach the Dursleys a lesson or two. "They threatened you?" He cried.

"Yeah, I kind of got used to it after awhile. When you hear nothing but hate, you kind of grow numb to it." He shook his head and sniffled. "They gave all their love to Dudley, there wasn't any left for me. Just once I wish someone would be happy I came home from school, happy it was my birthday, happy to just see me."

Sirius sat back down and patted the spot next to him.

"Come here kiddo."

Harry sat down next to Sirius, rubbing his face on his sleeve. Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer. Harry sat rigidly, feeling awkward, until he felt Sirius' head rest on top of his own. The warmth of his godfather swept into Harry's own being, causing him to relax into Sirius.

"Harry, I promise you that I will always be happy to see you return here from school. I will be happy to celebrate all your birthdays with you. I will be happy to have you around just because you are you."

He squeezed Harry's shoulder. Harry had never felt more loved or more wanted in his life. He faintly worried it was all a dream. He shifted himself, so that his head lay on his godfather's chest. Listening to the steady beat of Sirius' heart, Harry smiled. Sirius was real and he was going to be there for Harry. He let himself be held for what felt like hours.

Finally pulling away, he asked, "so, we're good then?"

Sirius beamed at his godson. "We're good."

"Good." Harry replied then settled back against his godfather's chest.

**A/N: Yay for fast updates! I tried to crank this chapter out because I felt bad for the last one. I stuck you guys with so much Selene when I said I wouldn't! Come to think of it, this chapter has quite a bit of her in it too. But don't worry; this is the last chapter where she gets a spotlight. From this point on she really will be in the background only appearing here and there. So thanks for waiting it out!**

**By the by, if anyone out there is named Timmy, no offense. I don't think Timmys look like toads, I just needed a name lol. And is that how you spell firewhiskey? I couldn't for the life of me remember which book it was in to check, so I went with it. I liked this ending much better than last, hopefully you all did too. Review and let me know?**


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